So currently there are a large number of people screaming about a list that someone compiled of all the politicians in Connecticut that voted for the assault weapons ban. Predictably the other side promptly held up the list as an indicator as we’re out of control and attempting to “chill debate”.

A bunch of people on our side started screaming about how that not helping, stating that we must perceiver and rely upon the ballot box and the jury box. I originally wrote this as a reply to someone on Facebook but figured it would be better placed here.

The problem here is we’re all forgetting the scope of the game we’re playing. Not only that we’re ceding moves and pieces for a perceived moral stature increase that doesn’t actually count much at all in this game. One side of this is already threatening force. It however won’t be the politician who kicks in someone’s door at 3am, endangering everyone from law enforcement, to children, to the parents. Honestly it should be the politician who pays, he’s the one that wrote the check that he’s making everyone else cash.

At the same time many also started screaming “well pack up and move.” I’d like to point out packing up and moving only works for so long. Believe me, my family knows quite well, we basically were chased across the US as we kept moving west to stay on the frontier. The same will keep happening legislatively, and even worse when enough states have fallen, they can be used as examples to infringe on your rights from the federal level. Think how concealed carry was finally forced upon Illinois. If everyone had just packed up and moved, would that have changed there? If everyone just packed up and left for “greener pastures” would concealed carry have been won in the states who didn’t have it? Plus you end up ceding ground which they then use against you later as an example of what is “allowable”. Think in the inverse, what if only one state had a CCW law and an attempt at a federal ban on carry was attempted? 49 other states might make SCOTUS go yeah that’s reasonable.

No, you must fight. Retreat when you must, but do not do so hastily and you must have a plan for coming back.

Frankly inviting all these people from other states that are crashing eventually backfires because many of the same people start voting for the same crap that got them in trouble to begin with. Believe me, Washington is being overrun with people from California and I’m watching it happen. Ask people in Texas about the California invasion as well.

But back to the list, politicians, and the game. I could give two shits about the list. Doesn’t really matter other than it plays better as a political tool by the opposition than for the friendlies. So do I wish it had not been published, yeah. But at the same time it serves are a reminder to the politicians exactly the ballgame they’re playing. If the card has been dealt in the open you might as well play with the damn thing.

But Barron, we must exercise the soap box, ballot box, and jury box. We had successes in Colorado with the recall, we don’t need force yet.

Well what am I doing here, and you doing there, and what was he doing by publishing the list? Last I checked, that all falls in the realm of soap box. But to think that all states will be OK because one successfully recalled, and was lucky enough to have a recall process, is also naïve. Not all states have a recall process.

Seriously, the game we’re playing the time periods are much shorter than election cycles and many are acting knowing they will loose their jobs. They don’t care, they’re being bought by our enemies. But why would that be?

The first rule of any game is to realize you’re in one. Their goal is to do the damage with no way to hit “undo”. Tell me, what is the punishment for passing an unconstitutional law? What is the punishment for enforcing an unconstitutional law? Who really pays to right the wrongs and who actually gets the reparations in the end? Just look at New Orléans and the Katrina fiasco for those answers.

But Barron, I just don’t think the time is right yet…

That is your opinion and you have every right to it. But, everyone has their own lines in the sand. If them kicking in the doors to people’s homes and taking them by force, and let’s not bullshit here this is what’s being discussed, good for you. Not everyone however views this in the same light and for many that is the line in the sand of no going back.

Don’t like it? Get the police to say screw off regarding enforcement. Currently though there are two sides of this coin, one side is the state wanting, and willing, to use force. The other side is preparing to strike back, not strike first, at those truly responsible should it happen.

But Barron we should fully exhaust the political route before fighting back.

The British rolled up one April 19th, should we have continued to wait hoping our pleas to the king for a political solution panned out?

No we fought while also trying to achieve a peaceful political solution. War is an ugly nasty business. However to dismiss the violence they will bring against you by saying “ballot box” while laying down your arms is already admitting defeat. Your enemy is willing to use force while you are not. By default he wins. You have lost the game.

And that folks is the problem. Welcome to the pot of boiling water. The heat was cranked up quite quickly and we very rapidly found ourselves in the very predicament we are in today. Does it suck? You bet your ass it does. Do I wish it was different? Yup. Do I want to have another civil war? Hell no, but that isn’t really up to me now is it?

In the words of Malcolm Reynolds,

If someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill them right back.

The answer to this problem is quite simple, “don’t start nothin’, won’t be nothin’.” If this side was as truly blood hungry as the opposition thinks, crap would have already gone down. At the same time, trying to make us all pacifists by screaming about the Soap, Ballot, and Jury boxes, implies that when a criminal is robbing us we should only every rely on those tools. Why bother with the firearms at all if we can’t defend ourselves and then go after the person who tried to kill us by proxy?

The ball is truthfully in the state’s court. All they have to do is respect the rights of their citizens and nothing will happen. Trample those rights, and well some may fight back. Some may go after the very people who passed the laws.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

I just had an epiphany though. Someone needs to make some Jack-Booted Thug targets. Not just jack-booted thug targets but also some generic corrupt police officer targets. Targets such as:

We can keep moving forward though.

The state keeps working on increasing the rift between us and them. They apparently feel the need to train to shoot pregnant women and children, so why not train for the reality that you may need to shoot a corrupt police officer that has no problems with killing you. Doubly so since he will be protected by “qualified immunity”.

Remember how often they use force when it’s unnecessary. Just look at the recent incident with the LAPD. Why are they training to be more willing to use force against the weakest in society? If they seem to think that everyone under the sun is their enemy, why should we think that any of them could still possibly be friendly?

If they’re going to train to kill us all and let god sort it out, why aren’t we doing the same?**

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Screwed up barely begins to describe this situation and honestly those two officers are lucky they weren’t perforated. In the current political climate, officers behaving like this could very well set off a powder keg.

Go read the whole story, it’s long enough and complicated enough I cannot easily post get all the details here. However here’s the money shot:

Reading through the comments indicates that Lake Stevens has a serious problem with this type of behavior and corruption.

State Sponsored Criminal #512: Steve Warbis

#513: James Wellington

Because warrants, probable cause, and all that other stuff are for other police officers. These two can kick in whatever door they want, arrest whoever they want, threaten whoever they want, out of uniform, and absolutely nothing will happen to the officers. Instead the taxpayers payout for their crimes.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Honestly if I was with any utility crew that was in the area to help restore power I’d pack up and leave. They were up all the way from Florida to help. Even if I lived in the area and worked locally, I’d pack up and move. When you attack the people trying to help you, you don’t deserve help. You deserve to suffer and be stuck solving the problem on your own.

He left his family to go help and work long hours in the process. His reward for that was a broken jaw and multiple fractures.

Can someone please explain to me how this was some how supposed to aid in the restoration of power? Does a black eye and broken jaw help a lineman do his job safely? Does it some how give him magical powers to see what needs to be done to the line to bring it back into service?

What I do absolutely love though is that idiot Mayor absolutely doesn’t care because it didn’t involve the use of a firearm. Heaven forbid he actually bring in the National Guard to help maintain order and provide a safe working environment for utility crews. Nope, only his anointed class can carry firearms in the city. In the mean time utility workers are being assaulted for trying to get the lights back on.

Personally, I say leave them in the dark and let them rot if that’s how they’re going to behave. Things aren’t magically fixed overnight no matter how bad you want them to be. Evidently massive damage can be magically undone with a snap of the fingers. Up to and including transformer replacement, line replacement, pole replacement, substation replacement, protective relay replacement, and line communication replacement. Will the individual who discovered this ability to fix things at the snap of their fingers please start a company to provide services, they could certainly be used in a time like this.

As for dealing with this problem, at minimum leave the lights off till that man’s buddies turn him in. You know he went and bragged to someone about beating up a utility crew to “show them they mean business.” Well just leave the lights off until the car and owner is found.

Seriously, incidents like this piss me right the hell off and I am being quite honest about letting them fix this crap themselves if that’s how they’re going to behave. You think a couple of weeks are bad, try a couple of years when no one helps next time.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Like this:

It is no hidden fact that I hate unions with a dead level passion. At one time they had a purpose but honestly if you dislike your working conditions, quit and go work some place else. No one is holding a gun to your head to work there.

Well it seems that some union shops, in an effort to gain more members, are using the fallout and suffering from hurricane Sandy to intimidate others into either joining or no helping. You think I’m lying?

These guys drove up from Alabama to help and were greeted with a join our club or !@#$ off. But people are without power, power that many need to survive. In the end though their own neighbors don’t care. If the outside assistance doesn’t want to join their coercive club to funnel money to a political party the group offering help might disagree with the locals would rather their neighbors freeze and starve.

You know what, I’d drive my ass back home too. Screw ‘em, if that’s the attitude you have towards helping in a time of an emergency I say let Darwin weed out a few more of you bastards. Maybe the people will find out exactly what you did and they’ll run you and your union out of town on a rail. I would like to point out I spend a lot of my own time and money volunteering to help, but by god I don’t need to be treated like that when I volunteer to help.

Now my coworker said they should just shoot the bastards who are telling help to turn around and leave over not being unionized. My only issue with that is that it shouldn’t be the people trying to help getting their hands dirty, it should be the people who’s suffering is being used for political leverage. Seriously, those who are without power need to be beating the hell out of these men who are prolonging the emergency unnecessarily.

Unsurprisingly you didn’t hear about any government officials telling the unions to STFU and do what’s necessary to get the job done. This isn’t the first time unions have used tragedy to further their position. My suggestion is if you live in New Jersey, start yelling at utility workers for refusing help. Even if it isn’t the same utility, put the pressure back on them for not keeping their brothers in check.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

While yes, cybersecurity should be taken seriously, Sandy is not an example of how dangerous a cyber attack could be.

What do I mean I hear you cry? Sandy is a prime example of what someone could do to physicallyinterrupt the power system. While you could find a way to get a breaker to open or close unintentionally, the easier method of disrupting utilities is to find critical points and physically knock them out.

First, let me do a quick explanation of what’s going on in the NYC area. Most power distribution in the NYC area is below ground. This makes it below sea level. This is one of the reasons they shut down many areas early, in an effort to protect equipment so that it can return to service more quickly. Still, that equipment has to be cleaned, transformers for example have to be washed, insulation checked, and refilled with cooling oil. This takes time, though much less time than having to fly in a replacement transformer, removing the old one, and installing and commissioning the new one.

So what we have is a bunch of distribution points that were/are full of water, need to be drained, the equipment cleaned, checked, maintained, and replaced possibly in some instances. All of this must be done before re-energizing that circuit.

So why did I take the time to explain all that? Well because it illustrates that if done properly, a physical attack, can easily do more damage than any cyber attack, and even more than that you have decreased the potential recovery time. But that’s not all. Say you execute an attack on physical infrastructure and take out 2 transmission level transformers on a main artery.

You have now done triple digit damage in the millions if not more. Plus it will take 2-3 years, at a minimum, to replace the transformers. Any stock they have for those transformers is in very limited supply. This means if you hit a couple of places at once, you could very well permanently cripple the ability for a region to get the power necessary to operate.

Seriously, think about this, cyber-security to protect assets worth millions of dollars and provide hundreds of millions in revenue are going to be left unguarded by their owners and operators? Get real. The bigger and harder problem is physical security. How do you stop someone from running a truck into a transmission tower?

Why do I bring all this up? Because our overlords often start screaming about “necessity” in an effort to create new regulations and requirements which honestly are unnecessary. They’re unnecessary because do you think a utility company doesn’t want to protect its equipment? For every minute a transmission line is down they’re loosing millions of dollars in lost revenue.

We’ve seen these cries before and yet again it is to drum up “FUD” among people who don’t really understand how the system works. FUD is how you make a bunch of people clamor to do something when nothing really needs to be done. That’s what Janet’s doing with her latest ramblings.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

So I am by no means a Photoshop god, far from it as a matter of fact. Someone sent me something recently and it was begging to get the full on treatment. Well to get it out before the elections over, because honestly who would care after the fact, I just did it in a meme form.

I really wanted to recolorize the picture and put Biden in Joker makeup, but alas I don’t have the skills to get it done in minutes and I have other stuff I want to do.

Worthy of note however is the fact that this Administration has now killed more American Citizens willfully through malice, negligence, and being outright intentional than any administration before it.

What, you think I’m wrong? Find me another administration who did something equivalent to the following three items:

We have a man who absolutely does not care about the health and well being of America or her citizens. Even more than that he is willing to sacrifice them and then will attempt to use their deaths as political leverage. These two villains need to go.

Even their own supporters admit that man of the policies pushed for by Obama are wrong and unconstitutional, but they become hypocrites when they find out it was their man who actually did it (ht to Weer’d).

Some how their sociopath won’t abuse his power for evil, and will help protect and defend American’s. Except oh wait, he’s done the opposite again, but evidently we’re all imagining it.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Barron is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.

He has a BS in electrical engineering from Washington State University. Immediately after college he went into work on embedded software and hardware for use in critical infrastructure. This included cryptographic communications equipment as well as command and control devices that were using that communications equipment. Since then he’s worked on just about everything ranging from toys, phones, other critical infrastructure, and even desktop applications. Doing everything from hardware system design, to software architecture, to actually writing software that makes your athletic band do its thing.

Barron Barnett/(The Minuteman Blog) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.